Torture became institutionalized in the French army during the Battle of Algiers

Evidence

And this is what happened. Because of the numbers of suspects involved, the D.O.P. “experts” often had to rely on outside help; “in certain cases”, admits Massu, “each of the regimental interrogation teams of the 10th Paratroop Division was obliged to have recourse to violence”. It was at this point, one might say, that torture became institutionalised in the army in Algeria. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 592

Categorization

• XREF: The pivotal institutionalization moment — a causal endpoint the chapter has been building toward through Wuillaume and the D.O.P. — connects to: A senior French official recommended institutionalizing torture in 1955; French governors repeatedly ordered torture prohibited before the Battle of Algiers; Post-1959 torture in Algeria became a private, unsanctioned practice. (+19 more)

Related

• Post-1959 torture in Algeria became a private, unsanctioned practice. (similarity 0.90)
• The Battle of Algiers exposed torture as a lasting poison for France (similarity 0.89)
• French governors repeatedly ordered torture prohibited before the Battle of Algiers (similarity 0.88)
• Brutalizing war and fear of losing drove army torture institutionalization (similarity 0.88)
• Torture in Algeria left a lingering poison in the French system (similarity 0.88)
• Torture was the chief factor in France’s defeat. (similarity 0.87)
• Torture won the Battle of Algiers but lost the war for France (similarity 0.87)
• Torture boomeranged against France in the Algerian war (similarity 0.87)
• Army hierarchy institutionalized cover-up of torture and abuses (similarity 0.87)
• Torture more than any single factor caused France’s Algerian defeat (similarity 0.86)
• A senior French official recommended institutionalizing torture in 1955 (similarity 0.86)
• Torture was effective in winning the short-term battle of Algiers (similarity 0.86)
• Massu admitted Algerian torture existed but denied it was institutionalized (similarity 0.86)
• Torture’s contested truth made it a lasting canker for France (similarity 0.85)
• The Battle of Algiers marked the end of any possibility of negotiated settlement (similarity 0.85)

Broader Connections

• The Battle of Algiers began with women bombing civilian targets #expands (0.60) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1710
• Torture in Algeria threatened France with state self-destruction #expands (0.50) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 734
• Torture backfired as a boomerang weapon in the Algerian war. #expands (0.50) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1659
• French governors repeatedly and publicly prohibited torture in Algeria despite its prevalence #qualifies (0.50) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 581
• Torture more than any single factor caused France’s Algerian defeat #complicates (0.40) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 51
• Conscripts forced to commit torture brought psychological scars back to metropolitan France #expands (0.40) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 730
• The Battle of Algiers marked the end of any possibility of negotiated settlement #expands (0.40) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 679